Driven to improvement

As a service director at a large automobile dealership, Greg knows the importance of optimal equipment in maintaining road safety.

Diagnosed with keratoconus in his left eye two years ago, Greg’s vision deteriorated to the point that he could see only through his right eye. His eventual inability to read a street signs with only his one good eye drove home the need for a livable solution to his vision problems.

“It kept getting worse and worse,” Greg says.

First, he was told he needed a hard contact lens. Then, he explored Lasik surgery but was told it wasn’t an option when the machine wouldn’t focus, which was unprecedented its operator said.

He also looked into surgery. He was advised that plastic stints could be used to stretch his cornea. The procedure would cost $6,000, involve four stitches in the eye and take a month’s recovery. But with no guarantees it would work, he passed.

Lastly, he searched online for alternatives. He read about hybrid contact lenses, or “SynergEyes,” which offer the corrective power of a hard lens with the comfort of a soft lens. When he looked for a local provider, he found Baymeadows Vision Center and scheduled an appointment.

During his visit, Dr. Brian Armitage advised Greg of an additional option—scleral lenses. Worn over the white part of the cornea, scleral lenses offer greater comfort and improved vision.

““It used to be that when I woke up in the middle of the night, the little red dot on the smoke detector on the ceiling out of my left eye looked like the letter “O.” I could see the light ring with a bright spot,” Greg says. “This lens takes that away completely.

“Now, sometimes I look at it before going to bed with my contact in and it becomes clear and precise. The difference amazes me.”

The scleral lens also is more comfortable than a soft lens, and his eye is no longer dry. After a long struggle, Greg says, he has finally found the right contact.